Guideline
by RoninSenshi
Summary: It was one perfect afternoon. And it was a horrible night. Sasuke found Itachi pouring over old scrolls in his room. Funny thing, a few ancient scrolls are missing in the villiage.
1. Lost Scrolls

For those of you reading manga that you bought, meaning you've only read up to about book 9, major spoilers. Foranyonewho just got tuned into Naruto awesomeness by CartoonNetwork, bigger spoilers. Nevermind, you should be grounded from life because you watch that shit Naruto on Toonami. They ate it, threw it up, raped it, pissed on it a bit and then put it on the air. Go to and watch/read the real stuff and stop failing.

So anyway, I randomly started writing this one night, enjoy!

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The cold wind whipped through young Sasuke's jet black hair. All the leaves had long since fallen from the trees. He gave an involuntary shiver, and clutched the back of Itachi's shirt tighter. His brother had lived up to his promise for once, and gave him a lesson in using kunai. Sasuke's chest still held the balloon of pride and satisfaction. At last, he had hit the center of the target. More than that though, his brother, a genius among ninja, had told him that he was proud of him. Sasuke often watched Itachi practice in the woods, always tried to copy his motions, but he had never succeeded before today. It was a perfect day. What he enjoyed most though, was Itachi carrying him on his back. When they walked home like that, it was like they were in their own little world, and nobody could touch them. _Maybe Father won't mention ninja business tonight_, Sasuke thought hopefully. That would complete the perfect day. None of those long, silent glares between Itachi and father. No bad feelings racing around the table. Sasuke usually felt horrible when this went on. It was always, 'Itachi, Itachi, Itachi...' Not that he blamed his brother for it. It wasn't his fault. Maybe now though, father would see that he, Sasuke, could do amazing things too. _None of the other children can hit the center of the target..._he thought defiantly. 

"Sasuke, we're home." said Itachi, rather sourly. He set Sasuke gently on the ground. Sasuke's heart fell. It was always a bit disappointing when the walk had to end...

"Mother, Father, we're home." Itachi called as they stepping into the house.

"Did you boys have fun training?" Mother said when she and Father entered the room. Sasuke ran up and hugged her leg.

"I hit the middle of the target with a kunai!" Sasuke told her excitedly, grinning widely. He looked hopefully to his father, but he was already engaging Itachi in a conversation.

"And you, Itachi?"

"It was practice Father." responded Itachi in a bored, yet biting voice.

"What about school?" Father asked, this time more sternly. Itachi rolled his eyes in a way that indicated he would much rather be somewhere else, but said,

"When I got to school our sensei asked for the homework; I took it up. He then explained the nature of a surprise examination. We were tested on a five mile course that consisted of rapids, forest beasts and taijutsu. I had gyoza and a rice ball for lunch. Then, we received the results of our test. I was awarded a 100. After that I practiced with Sasuke, and we walked home together. Is that specific enough for you?" Itachi's voice grew more and more acid as he spoke.

"Well, a 100 on a test, that's really good Itachi." Mother finally said to break the silent, poisenous gaze between Itachi and Father.

"It's very good." Sasuke added brightly.

"Dinner." growled Father.

Dinner was a quiet one, except for the occasional 'please' and 'thank you' as food was passed around. It was not at all what Sasuke had hoped for. It had been false hope after all...it was always like it at dinner, why had he thought it might be any different tonight?

After the dishes had been cleared, Sasuke went with Mother to get ready for bed.

"I'm very proud of you Sasuke." she said softly, "There are very few children your age who can accurately aim a kunai. You did well."

"What about Dad? Is he proud too?" Sasuke asked. There was a very short pause before Mother said,

"Yes, he's proud too." However, that hesitation, no matter how quick, had not escaped Sasuke's attention. He headed off to bed feeling worse than he had in ages. Maybe, if he worked harder, he could get Father to be as proud of him as he was of Itachi...he wondered if Itachi would be more willing to help him now that they had a lesson together. Sasuke jerked upright. He should go thank Itachi for teaching him today. He raced out from under the covers and down the hall to Itachi's room

"Itachi, I wanted to–what's that?" Itachi was bent over three or four open scrolls on the floor. He jumped up.

"Sasuke, get out!" he shouted.

"What're those scrolls? They don't look like any–"

"GET OUT SASUKE!" Itachi yelled again, and slid his door across the frame as fast as it would go.

"Ow! Itachi! Leggo of the door!" The door had closed on Sasuke's forefinger. His finger throbbed violently. He started to cry from the pain.

"Itachi!" Sasuke yelled again. "Let go! I won't tell, I promise!"

"Itachi!" a more stern voice said. Mother was standing in back of Sasuke. Still the door did not budge.

"Itachi, your brother's finger is stuck, open this door." Mother ordered. At last the door slid open enough for Sasuke to pull his finger out, and then slammed all the way shut. They heard a kunai shoot through the air and land in the door handle, locking it.

"I'll let your father deal with you. Come on Sasuke." Sasuke followed Mother back into the kitchen, covering his wound.

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"Let me see Sasuke." Sasuke unwillingly showed Mother his finger. He flinched at the sight of it. It was bleeding fluently, and the area around it was either black or violet. Mother examined it for a minute before taking out the bandages.

"I don't think anything's broken." she said gently, "The bone might be a little bruised, but you'll live." She dabbed some sticky medicine onto the cut before wrapping it.

"Sasuke, what is it that you promised not to tell?" Sasuke kept quiet for a while. If he told her, Itachi would get very mad, that was his instinct. But he knew he had to tell Mother. Especially since she asked.

"There were a bunch of scrolls laid out. Old ones. I've never seen them before. They looked top secret."

"Oh? Well. I don't think that's anything to worry about. They're probably just for research. The library has some very old scrolls." Sasuke could tell she was lying. She was worried. He couldn't blame her. Itachi had been acting weird ever since two months ago. Weirder than usual anyway. Father had taken him to one of the clan's meetings. It was the first meeting Itachi was old enough to go to. Itachi had come back all quiet. Not the sad kind of quiet, but a mischievous, malicious sort of quiet. Sasuke knew he was up to something. Tonight just proved it.

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Mother and Father were still up. They had told Sasuke to go to sleep. Sasuke tried, he really tried, but he could not sleep. He had too much to think about. Like what was on those scrolls, and what Itachi was planning to do with them. He kept imagining scenario after scenario. Each one seemed more and more unlikely. Therefore, he could not sleep. Plus his finger was still throbbing. And Mother and Father were whispering in their room. Little whispers. All Sasuke could hear was '_ssssssssssssshhhhsssssss'._ It was annoying, and it made him anxious. His stomach kept flip flopping for no real reason.

Finally he couldn't stand it anymore. He slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the hall, being especially quiet near Itachi's room, and to his parent's room. The whispers made sense now.

"Did you get anything?" Mother said.

"He wouldn't talk, and I couldn't open the door." Father sighed.

"I'm scared." admitted Mother anxiously. "You know as well as I do that those scrolls are the ones that were stolen from the temple. In the wrong hands..."

"I know the risk! Why would he do this? I don't know what the hell's the matter with him lately. He's become antisocial and spends most of his free time in his room. Why would he do something like this? He knows the dangers."

"That's what scares me." Mother said even more quietly. Her voice was shaking. Sasuke held his breath and listened hard.

"He knows the danger and yet he still took them. What if he finds out about it? He's already ambitious and powerful, if he finds out how to activate the Mangekyou Sharingan..." Sasuke moved as quickly back down the hall as he could. His mind was racing. What was the Mangekyou Sharingan, and if it was so dangerous, why would Itachi want it? He bumped into something soft. He looked up. Itachi was standing over him with crossed arms. He had activated his Sharingan. Sasuke took a step back.

"What're you doing?" demanded Itachi softly.

"I-uh...bathroom." Sasuke lied. Itachi smirked and bent down to Sasuke's eye level.

"Little snitches shouldn't walk around late at night." He stood back up. Sasuke couldn't help but stare at his eyes. They looked different than a normal Sharingan. Sasuke sidestepped his brother and hurried back to his room as fast as he could.

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I hope you'll come back for more. I dunno what's going to happen, but it'll be fun. 


	2. The Note

I love my reviews, thank you! I'm not sure how this ties into the story, so I kind of made it at the end. I'm excited, I've never written a story and posted it on the spot before.

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"Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke looked up from his seat on the swing. Sakura was smiling at him.

"Morning." he greeted sullenly. Sakura turned pink. Girls always did that in front of him. He did not understand them. Sakura shakily sat down in the swing next to his.

"I-I have some extra food in my lunch, I-if you want some." she said breathlessly. "I mean, I noticed you don't have a lunch today s-so..." she trailed off. Sasuke was about to refuse, but his stomach growled at him. He nodded and stood up.

"Really?" Sakura clasped her hands together.

"If it won't be any trouble." Sakura shook her head furiously.

"Not at all! I set my stuff down over there." She pointed to a tree in the distance.

"Oi, oi! Sakura-chan! Can I have some?" Naruto prodded her in the arm. Sakura shied away.

"Go away Naruto! I'm only offering to Sasuke-kun!" Naruto looked crestfallen, but ran off to bother Chouji for food.

"Sorry about that Sasuke-kun." Sakura apologized, blushing furiously. Sasuke shrugged.

"Maybe you should offer him some. It's not like he has parents to give him food."

"Oh...right...I'll be right back Sasuke." Sakura hurried off and returned moments later with Naruto close behind.

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Sakura distributed her extra food equally between Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto wolfed down his food in a rather violent and disturbing way. Sakura cringed and scooted farther away from him.

"Aren't you hungry Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura. Sasuke had been simply staring at the rice ball in his hand.

"Oh, yes. Thank you Sakura." he said, taking a bite. Sakura flushed magenta.

"A-anytime." she said, looking faint.

"Sasuke, I overheard you telling Shikamaru that your brother was giving you ninja lessons." said Naruto with a touch of envy.

"Really?" said Sakura in admiration. "Itachi is a really good ninja. My father talks about him a lot. You're really lucky Sasuke-kun! What has he taught you?" Sasuke couldn't help it. His body filled with pride.

"I can hit the center of a target." said Sasuke smartly.

"Amazing!" Naruto's blue eyes were wide in awe. "Do you think your brother could give me lessons?"

"And me?" asked Sakura hopefully. Sasuke's momentary happiness vanished.

"I dunno." he said solemnly. "I could ask...I guess..." Truthfully, he did not want to ask. Not only would Itachi not agree to it, it would make him mad. Given what he had heard last night, mad was the last thing he wanted Itachi to be.

Naruto had failed to notice it, but Sakura detected the change in Sasuke's voice.

"Or, well, I know Itachi's probably really busy. He's about to graduate the Academy, isn't he? Maybe you could teach us what he teaches you. It would be fun. It's a good thing to have friends to practice with. It can be our own little club!" suggested Sakura brightly. Sasuke felt deeply grateful toward her.

"Club?" Naruto repeated. He grew more excited, if that was possible. He jumped up and did a little dance.

"Ninja club! Ninja club!"

"What do you think Sasuke, will you teach us?" Sakura pleaded. The idea of a club was enticing. A secret just between the three of them. They could learn and practice all the things Itachi did; they could graduate the Academy by the time they were nine! That would definitely make Father proud. Itachi was twelve and a half. If Sasuke graduate at nine, that would prove that he could be just as good as Itachi.

"Well?" said Sakura expectantly. Sasuke nodded.

"That'll be fun!"

"Yes!" Naruto whooped and cartwheeled across the grass to the swings and back.

"We should pick a name." said Sakura.

"Ramen Ninja!" said Naruto immediately, punching the air. Sakura smacked him.

"No! Idiot! How about the 'Fighting Trio'?"

"Sounds like a lame comic book." Naruto insulted.

"Does not!" Sakura protested. "What do you think Sasuke?"

"Well...real ninja are assigned to a team, and that team has a number. Pick a number between one and ten."

"Eight!" Naruto said, a little louder than necessary.

"Six." said Sakura, rolling her eyes at Naruto.

"Seven then, because that's between six and eight. We can call ourselves Team Seven."

"Good choice Sasuke-kun!" said Sakura, turning pink.

"Yeah!" roared Naruto excitedly, punching the air again.

"Would you stop doing that? You look like a stupid comic book hero." said Sakura.

"If this were a comic book, I would be the hero." retorted Naruto.

"You're too ugly." replied Sakura, folding her arms.

"Well–"

"Let's meet at the old training field at three. Bring your stuff." Sasuke intervened. They both agreed.

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Sasuke moved as fast as he could toward the training field. He was moving quickly for someone carrying five large books and seven targets. This was in excess to his complete set of kunai and shuriken, each weapon recently sharpened.

After dropping the books a couple times, Sasuke reached the training field. He checked his watch. Two-thirty. He wanted to get there plenty early to set up. Sasuke took the seven targets up and began a reconnaissance mission of the area. He carefully selected a place for each target. When he finished that task, he laid all the books neatly on the ground in order from smallest to largest. Sasuke plopped down on the ground and rested against a wooden pole to wait for Naruto and Sakura. He could barely contain his enthusiasm. He tapped his foot apprehensively on the ground. Ever since they made plans this morning, his depression had gradually lifted.

It was not long before Sasuke heard Naruto crashing through the forest. He emerged with a large stick, whacking every plant within reach. Sakura followed close behind him, lecturing him on his behavior. Both stopped when they spotted Sasuke.

"Team Seven reporting for training." they said in unison, each striking a military salute. Sasuke grinned widely at his friends.

"I brought snacks." Sakura added, holding out a bag. Sasuke took it and set it down next to the pole.

"Thanks Sakura. I brought some of Itachi's old school books. I flipped through them, they have some cool techniques. I thought we could look at them some until we all hit the target every time. That way we'll understand them before we try them."

"That's really smart Sasuke-kun." said Sakura shyly.

"Yeah, but show us how to throw the kunai." Naruto said, wiggling on his spot. Sasuke nodded and picked up one of his freshly sharpened kunai. He walked to about ten feet away from a target. He gripped the kunai in the position Itachi had showed him. He aimed and, desperately hoping he would not miss, threw the kunai.

It was flawless. The kunai landed smack dab in the center of the target.

"Awesome!" Naruto applauded.

"That's so cool!" Sakura gaped.

"I still need practice." mumbled Sasuke, his face turning red from their acknowledgment.

"My turn!" shouted Naruto, snatching up a kunai. He ran up to the nearest target and chucked his kunai at it. It missed by a mile.

"What!" howled Naruto. "That's a bad kunai! I aimed! I didn't to anything different than Sasuke!"

"Here." Sasuke handed him another kunai. "You need to fix your hand position. The way you're holding it it doesn't matter if you aim or not." Sasuke repositioned Naruto's grip on the weapon.

"Now try." Naruto took aim again. This time the kunai struck the outer edge of the target.

"Oh man...give me another one."

"Give me one too, I want to try." said Sakura.

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After a hour they gathered near the pole, each sweaty and breathing hard. Sakura and Naruto had both hit the center at least once, and the other times they came dangerously close. "I'm jealous." smiled Sasuke, "I've been trying for two months, and you two got it in a day."

"Only because you showed us." said Sakura gratefully, pulling snacks out of the bag and passing them around.

"Your brother knows some good techniques." added Naruto.

"D'you want to take a look at the books?" asked Sasuke. They gathered around a worn red textbook. Sasuke opened it to the first page.

"Shuriken techniques. We've only been working on kunai, so we should probably do shuriken next time."

"Are those harder?" grumped Naruto.

"Not really." answered Sakura. "Just different. You should ask your brother to show you when you get home Sasuke."

"Speaking of which..." Naruto pointed behind Sasuke. Sasuke twisted around. Itachi was right above him. Sasuke jumped back, landing on Naruto and Sakura.

"Hi Itachi." said Sasuke nervously. He did not know why he was so scared, they were just looking at old books...

"What are you doing with my books?" asked Itachi, glaring down at him. There was something about those eyes...

"S-studying." Sasuke's mouth was suddenly dry. "Mother said your old books would be best because you write really good notes in them." Itachi gathered up his books.

"Don't ever touch these Sasuke, understand? Do not _ever_ touch these! Give me the one you have." Sasuke held the book protectively in front of him. He did not put it in Itachi's outstretched hand. If he did, they would not be able to practice anymore. He scraped up his courage off the pit of his stomach.

"Itachi, can we keep this one, please? We're practicing, and this would be really helpful." Itachi stared at him for another minute.

"Fine." he said, and walked back into the forest. Sasuke let out his breath. He was shaking uncontrollably.

"Sakura, do you have any water?" She nodded and handed him a bottle.

"Thanks." When he went to set his water down though, he noticed a slip of paper on the grass. He assumed it had fallen out of one of Itachi's books. He reached over and picked it up, hoping it had some cool jutsu written on it. But it only had one word,

_Akatsuki.

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_

Remember when you were in elementary school and every day someone would make up a new club? Wasn't that awesome? And you could go up to a person and say, 'do you wanna be friends?' and then you'll be friends until highschool. Everyone played together and there wasn't that awkward randomness of talking to someone you don't know. That was great, wasn't it? Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and come back for more! 


	3. Friends

Thanks to my reviewers. You know, I originally did not intend for Sakura and Naruto to be part of this story, but they're becoming essential.

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Sasuke took a deep breath and clutched the note in his sweating hand.

"Hi Mother." he said cheerfully, but he was rather breathless.

"Hello Sasuke." she replied, eyeing him suspiciously. She patted down dirt around a plant in the garden.

"What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you'd teach me Gokakyuu no Jutsu." said Sasuke, fiddling with the note.

"I don't think you're old enough for that yet." Mother said.

"What about some shuriken techniques?" asked Sasuke, avoiding his point again.

"I'm out of practice. Itachi would be a much better person to ask." A few moments passed in silence. Sasuke watched Mother tend the garden, all the while wondering if he should tell her.

"Mother?"

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"You know Itachi's books you let me borrow?"

"Mm-hmm."

"One of them had...well, I mean...what's 'Akatsuki'?" Mother dropped her shovel.

"What?"

"Akatsuki." repeated Sasuke.

"Oh, I don't know...probably some ancient ninja group..." replied Mother airily. "Can I see where you found this?" Sasuke handed her a crumpled (and slightly damp) slip of paper.

"I'll take care of this for you." she said, pocketing the paper. Now Sasuke knew something was wrong. Nothing made Mother act like this.

"Does the ancient ninja group still exist?" inquired Sasuke.

"No, no, of course not. That's why it's ancient."

"Oh. I'm going to go play."

"Alright, be back in time for dinner."

Sasuke wandered aimlessly through Konoha's streets. He did not believe Mother, not for a second. He wanted to find out what Akatsuki was. He knew Mother and Father would not tell him. Itachi knew, but Sasuke would rather have his tongue cut out than ask him. In fact, Itachi probably would cut his tongue out. There was only one other person he could think of.

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Sasuke bowed as soon as he entered the room.

"Uchiha Sasuke, correct?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." answered Sasuke. He straightened up.

"What can I do for you?" The Hokage smiled at him. Sasuke returned it genuinely. He liked their Hokage, he had a warm feeling about him.

"I have a question. What's 'Akatsuki'?" The Hokage's grin melted.

"What?" Deijavou.

"Akatsuki." He was getting tired of that word.

"Why do you want to know about them?"

"That's the word that was written on a piece of paper that fell out of one of my brother's books." Sasuke explained.

"Find Uchiha Itachi immediately!" the Third ordered the ninja nearest to him. They vanished instantaneously. Sasuke gazed at the Third curiously. This was getting more confusing by the minute.

"Sasuke." said the Hokage seriously. "Who else have you mentioned this to?"

"Just my mom. And Naruto and Sakura were with me when I found it."

"Uzumaki Naruto?" the Third said urgently.

"Yes sir. We were training." responded Sasuke.

"Listen to me, don't go asking anyone else about Akatsuki, understand?"

"What is it?" said Sasuke for what felt like the millionth time.

"They're a group of elite ninja. They have no morals. All they want is power, and they'll do anything to get it. Will that satisfy you?"

"Yeah, but what does my brother want with them?" On cue, the ninja returned with Itachi on hand. One had a deep cut on his face. Sasuke caught a glimpse of his brother. The Sharingan was active.

"What do you want?" said Itachi, in a considerably rude tone.

"Akatsuki." said the Third. Itachi's eyes widened in realization. Sasuke did not have time to move; before he knew what was happening, Itachi was on top of him. He covered his face with his arms in a small attempt to block Itachi's blows.

"You're going to get a whole lot worse than a cut on your finger this time you little bastard!" It required three ninja to pull Itachi off Sasuke.

"Are you all right Sasuke?" one of them asked. Sasuke opened his eyes. The light made his head hurt. He tried moving his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He held his head to stop it from spinning.

"Serves the little snitch right." he heard Itachi grumble. Sasuke did not know what happened after that.

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"He's waking up." someone said. Sasuke blinked a few times and pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"What happened?" said another voice. Sasuke groggily turned his head toward the voice. Naruto was sitting Indian style at the bottom of his bed. Sasuke blinked a few more times, his vision was still blurry.

"'ere 'm I?" He was taken aback by the sound of his voice. Only a few sounds made it out in a garbled croak. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Where am I?" This time he managed a hoarse whisper.

"Konoha hospital." Sakura answered.

"How long?" The back of his throat was hurting from forced speech and his head was thudding dully.

"A day. What happened to your head?" asked Naruto bluntly. Sasuke reached up to the top of his head. Instead of hair he felt cloth.

"I dunno. Could one of you get someone? My eyes are all messed up." he said, shaking his head to try and remove the fog in his eyes. Sakura jumped to comply.

"Really, what happened?" Naruto pressed.

"I honestly don't know." said Sasuke, massaging his temples. The dull thud in his head morphed into a pounding headache as he tried to recall.

"The last thing I know I was in the Hokage's office. He called for Itachi and–" Oh. He remembered. Itachi beat the shit out of him. "–then I was here." finished Sasuke. He did not need to tell Naruto. Not right now anyway.

"Ah." Naruto looked disappointed, but accepted Sasuke's answer. Sasuke couldn't help but smile at the face his new friend was wearing.

"Why are you so disappointed?" Sasuke laughed

"I just thought, if you remembered who attacked you, we could go on a mission. Stand up for each other you know? Like a real team." He stopped laughing.

"Naruto..."

"Yes, Team Seven all the way baby!" Sakura cut in, making her way over to Sasuke. "A nurse is going to come look at your eyes Sasuke-kun."

"Thanks Sakura." His eyes were cloudier than before. He wiped them with his sleeve.

"Sasuke-kun?" said Sakura, concerned.

"It's nothing, I'm just glad we formed Team Seven." He smiled at them both. In his family, Sasuke always seemed to be left out. Father was constantly obsessing over Itachi, and Mother was busy with them. No one had ever cared about him like this before. He put his arms around Sakura and Naruto and pulled them both into a hug.

"We're going to be the best ninja team ever." said Sasuke, beaming.

"Got that right!" said Naruto, holding his hand out in the 'nice guy' pose. Sakura nodded in agreement, blushing brilliantly in Sasuke's hug.

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Half an hour later a nurse entered the room pushing a cart filled with all kinds of medical instruments.

"Go Fish!" Naruto yelled triumphantly.

"Quiet down Uzumaki-chan." ordered the nurse. "This is a hospital." She sounded like she was speaking to a repulsive thing that one would normally step on. Sasuke did not fail to notice the disheartened look on Naruto's face.

"He wasn't that loud." defended Sasuke. The nurse did not respond. She picked a small flashlight up from the cart and shined it in Sasuke's eye. After completing the routine of 'look right, down, up, blink...' she set the light back on the cart.

"Your vision will be blurry for the next day or so. I'll give you some medicine, but there's not much we can do. Sharingan attacks take time to heal." Naruto and Sakura turned their eyes onto Sasuke. He stared determinedly at the cards in his hand. He wished they would not look at him like that.

"Sharingan attack?" Sakura asked after the nurse left.

"So, Sakura, do you have a four?" averted Sasuke.

"You liar, you know who attacked you." said Naruto accusingly.

"Can we drop it?" pleaded Sasuke. He did not know why, but he did not want them to know it had been Itachi.

"Okay..." answered Sakura hesitantly. Naruto however, threw down his cards.

"No! You can't let people treat you like dirt! You know who put you here, and you can't hide it!" he shouted angrily.

"Drop it Naruto! I mean it!" snapped Sasuke.

"Naruto, maybe you should listen." said Sakura timidly.

"No, Sasuke's being dumb!" Naruto flicked the side of Sasuke's head. Sasuke slapped his hand away. His chest was burning with anger. Why wouldn't he listen?

"Naruto, if you don't drop this right now, I'll punch you!" he threatened, curling his fingers into a fist.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto just wants to help..." Sakura put a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke shrugged it off.

"That's great Sasuke!" Naruto spat, "You're going to punch someone for caring about you?" The anger inside him disappeared. Sasuke unclenched his fist. He gazed down at the bed sheets again.

"No, I won't. I'm sorry Naruto. But you don't need to know who it was."

"Why not?" Sasuke did not respond. He got the feeling that Naruto could suddenly read his mind. He was revealing everything. Naruto knew.

"It was Itachi, wasn't it?" said Naruto quietly. Sakura let out a small gasp.

"Was it Sasuke?" she asked.

"Yeah." Naruto answered for him. "It was because of whatever was on the slip of paper we found." He slid off the bed. "I'll be back." Sakura started to follow Naruto out of the room.

"Hold on Sakura. Would you mind staying here?" Sasuke did not want to be left alone, not right now. Sakura turned back and sat on the end of the bed.

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Night had fallen. Sakura was curled up at the end of the bed. Naruto had not been back. Sasuke fiddled nervously with his thumbs. His stomach was churning. He had asked for anti-nausea medicine, but was denied. Quote: 'There's nothing wrong with you, you don't need it.' A foreboding feeling had long since settled in his chest. The hospital was much too quiet. Then, he heard it. The sound he had been dreading for the past six hours.

He heard several running down the hall shouting. The doors to his wing opened with a bang.

"Hold the flow steady!"

"He's losing way too much blood!" Sasuke jumped out of bed and ran to the door. A group of people streaked by with a stretcher. He felt the blood drain out of his face.

"Who was that?" he asked a lingering nurse. He was shaking, hoping he was wrong.

"That?" said the nurse, pointing down the hall. "Uzumaki Naruto."

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Ooh...I wonder what's going to happen...I'm so excited. Except that, I'm going to be really, really tired at school tomorrow. It's like, three in the morning. Oh well. At least it's Friday. Good night everyone! 


	4. My Promise

Actually, Itachi graduated when he was nine, and was a jounin by the time he was twelve, or something like that, right? Or am I remembering someone else? Eh...hey! Only four more filler episodes before they get back to the storyline, isn't that awesome?

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Sasuke shot off down the hall after the stretcher. 

"Sasuke-chan!" the nurse yelled. He heard her footsteps speed up behind him. Sasuke urged his legs to run faster. He was catching up with the doctors. He stretched out his hand to grab one of their coats...his fingers closed on white fabric. He slowed down to a jog alongside the stretcher.

"Kid, he's been attacked with a Sharingan, we've got to get him into surgery! " One of the doctors said, trying to pry Sasuke's fingers off the stretcher bar. Sasuke held fast.

"Naruto!" Naruto opened a bloody eye.

"Sasuke...we're a team." he whispered. Naruto's body convulsed, he rolled sideways and clutched his throat, coughing. Blood splattered everywhere. Someone grabbed Sasuke from behind, wrenching him free from the stretcher.

"No!" He pulled at the hands around his waist. "Let me go! Naruto!" He twisted his body every way he could think of. He kicked and bit, but whoever was holding him was strong.

"Let me go! Let me go!" he screamed. The person released him. Sasuke hit the ground running.

"Naruto needs care, Sasuke-chan! You'll only get in the way." Sasuke stopped. He turned back.

"He's my friend."

"Look at me." Sasuke looked up into the kind face of the Third.

"Hokage-sama! I uh..I...sorry I bit you..."

"Don't worry about it. Naruto's your friend, I understand."

"What happened?" The Third bit his lip.

"Sasuke..." Sasuke knew that tone, he was about to lie.

"The doctor said he'd been attacked with a Sharingan! So don't lie, I know! It was Itachi!" The Hokage looked taken aback. He regained himself quickly. The Third put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Yes, it was Itachi." Sasuke's nails bit into the palm of his hand.

"What exactly happened?" he demanded. The Third sighed.

"Sasuke, you have to understand something, Naruto is not a normal child. People are scared by things that aren't normal."

"What happened?" Sasuke growled again. He was fighting hard to keep his temper in line. No one would tell him anything.

"Hokage-sama, Kyuubi is trying to break containment!" An orderly skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Kyuubi?" said Sasuke immediately. "What's that?" The Third shot a glare at the orderly.

"Sasuke, I have to go." He followed the orderly back down the hall.

"Wait!" Sasuke called after them. Neither paid attention. Sasuke headed back to his room, feeling more confused than ever.

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"I can't believe I slept through all that!" said Sakura angrily, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Sorry." Sasuke muttered. "I didn't have time to think about that."

"What about Naruto? Is he alright?" asked Sakura in a a softer tone.

"Dunno. He was messed up bad though." answered Sasuke.

"How do you think it happened?" Sasuke vaguely thought about lying, but he was too exhausted. He had not slept since he woke up yesterday. Sakura did not need to be kept out of the loop anyway.

"Itachi." he whispered.

"Oh...Sasuke..." She hugged him lightly.

"It's alright." he said reassuringly, to both her and himself. Acting as a perfect silence breaker, a nurse entered holding a glass of water and two grey pills.

"Your last dose of medicine Sasuke-chan." she said, smiling.

"What about Naruto?" said Sasuke, taking the pills and the water.

"I still don't know anything." said the nurse stiffly. Sasuke gulped down the pills and, making a face, drained the water out of the cup. The medicine had a nasty aftertaste. The nurse took the cup and headed out the door.

"Sasuke-chan," she said, stopping at the threshold, "It seems you have a roommate." A bed rolled into the room. On it was a heavily bandaged Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura leapt to help secure the wheels on Naruto's bed. After the nurses left, Sasuke and Sakura climbed carefully onto either side of Naruto.

"You were right, he is in bad shape." commented Sakura, brushing a few strands of hair out of Naruto's face.

"Naruto?" said Sasuke, shaking his friend gently.

"You have bad breath Sasuke." groaned Naruto, pulling his shirt up over his nose.

"Wake up." said Sakura, rolling her eyes.

"Not until Sasuke brushes his teeth." replied Naruto, grinning. Sasuke slid onto his feet, went to the bathroom and scrubbed his teeth as hard as he could.

"Better?" he said, breathing on Naruto.

"Yeah." Naruto said, sitting up. Sasuke clambered back up beside Naruto. A few moments of awkward silence passed. Sasuke could hear his heart thumping in his chest, wondering what to say. What do you say to your friend after your brother beats him up? There were only two words that came to Sasuke's mind.

"You're trashed." He immediately kicked himself mentally for saying it. It sounded so stupid. Naruto just laughed.

"Yeah, your brother knows how to throw a punch."

"So...?" Sakura urged.

"I went to tell Itachi off for beating up Sasuke. I called him a bastard and told him to go apologize to you, Sasuke. He turned on those eyes." Naruto shivered, "It felt weird, I can't even explain it. He started punching me, he was yelling something, I don't remember what it was. Some other people started to join in...and then a bunch of sirens, and Sasuke was with me for a little bit there...Sasuke?" Sasuke was rubbing his eyes furiously. He couldn't stop himself from crying.

"Sasuke, really, I'm fine! It doesn't hurt much, it's okay!" Naruto assured desperately. Sasuke leaned over, hugging his friend.

"I am so sorry, Naruto." he said quietly.

"I can see that. Don't worry, it's what friends do." said Naruto brightly. Sasuke nodded.

"Okay."

"Sasuke, you're crushing me." Naruto pointed out.

"Oh, right." Sasuke sat back up, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"So, Naruto," said Sakura, breaking the silence, "Did they fix your head while you were in there?"

"Sakura-chaaaan! Why are you so mean to me?" said Naruto, feigning hurt. Sakura giggled.

"Now that you mention it Sakura, his head does look a little different." said Sasuke, grinning.

"You too Sasuke?" Naruto buried his face in his hands, pretending to cry. He kept peeking through his fingers.

"Hey, when do they bring you lunch in this place?" Naruto asked suddenly, putting his hands down. Sasuke and Sakura shared a look.

"Wow, great attention span Naruto." said Sakura.

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They were able to coax a nurse into bringing them lunch early. Sakura picked off of Sasuke and Naruto's plates.

"Naruto..." started Sakura.

"Hm?"

"Something's been bothering me. You said that after Itachi started punching you, a bunch of other people joined in."

"Yeah."

"Well, why would they? They didn't have any reason." Naruto put down his chopsticks.

"I dunno..." he said thoughtfully, "I didn't really think about it." Sasuke dropped his chopsticks.

"Naruto," he said quickly, "I've just remembered something that happened when I was talking to Hokage-sama last night. What's Kyuubi?"

"How should I know?" Naruto shrugged, shoveling rice into his mouth.

"Well, right after it was said, Hokage-sama ran off towards you." They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Sasuke, you have more visitors." said a nurse, smiling. She opened the door wider to reveal Father, Mother, and Itachi.

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Sasuke and Sakura scooted protectively closer to Naruto. Sasuke watched Itachi's eyes intently, ready if they changed.

"Itachi." Father growled. Itachi folded his arms. Father prodded him in the back. Itachi shot a deadly glare up at him.

"Now." said Father in a low voice

"No." Itachi made no effort to keep his voice down. Father grasped his arm tightly.

"I'll put you back in the academy." he said quietly.

"They both deserved it." Itachi spat, pulling his arm away. He touched a nerve. Sasuke didn't think about it. He jumped off the bed and rushed at Itachi.

"You jerk! Naruto didn't deserve that!"

"Sasuke!" Mother caught him before he reached Itachi.

"You had no right! I'll get you back! I'll _kill _you!" Sasuke smirked; he'd made an effect on Itachi. Itachi regained his composure quickly however. He bent down to Sasuke's eye level and putting his forefinger to Sasuke's forehead he smiled and said,

"Little brother, you just saved yourself." After that, he disappeared into thin air.

* * *

Bear with me here. I feel like my grammar and sensory details and all are screwed up. Well, that's because I used to do really in depth stuff, but then it would feel weird when I switched to the action part. So I'm trying to blend it and...well, as I said, bear with me. Writing takes practice. Anyway, only four more fillers! 


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